The Queen of Karuta
by ashleyli
Summary: All her life, Aria Tsubasa has been surrounded by karuta. Her family is crazy obsessed and has trained her and her cousins to the brink. She used to love the sport, but now she can only resent it for the relentless training she went through. Until she transfers to Mizusawa and is dragged by the karuta president and forced to join their club... TAICHI/OC
1. Dragged and Trapped

**Chapter One: Dragged and Trapped**

I was in a dilemma. Although I knew it was unreasonable, I silently cursed the school for making a mandatory rule that all students had to join a club. Looking at the 'Clubs' bulletin board, there were flyers everywhere; tennis, basketball, softball, hockey…but I was adamant to not choose softball, or any club that concerned using a ball during play.

The bulletin board was anything but methodical. It incredibly messy, with flyers everywhere, and most flyers were repeated with big neon colours to boot. It hurt my eyes, so to keep them from completely bulging out, I dug underneath the attention-seeking clubs, finding one with a very simply drawn picture of a card, and a lady with a hakama on it. There were Japanese kanji on the card in what looked like a poem.

"Karuta, ka?" I breathed. Karuta was a weird sport for me, and one with even weirder family history. I had gotten sick of the sport long ago as I had a family of karuta-playing masterminds. Whenever we had mini tournaments, I would get scolded if I lost, and scolded again if I beat the elders. So what was the point? Although whenever I got scolded for winning it made me more rebellious, resulting in me determined to win all our tournaments just to kill their damned pride.

"Oh!" Someone shouted near me. "Are you thinking of joining our club?"

I turned to find a girl with long brown hair tied into a pony tail with gym strip on. She was beautiful and tall, even taller than me by a few centimeters. Before I could reply, she got carried away. Literally. "This is great!" She said, "Wait until you meet our club members!"

I couldn't reply, she just kept talking and dragging me through the halls. The jeans I was wearing made it very uncomfortable, especially with the boots I was wearing since I had to jog to keep up with her excitement. Her hand held a death grip on my wrist, practically crushing me through my gray hoodie. "Do you love karuta? Or many you haven't played karuta yet? Either is okay, but I hope you love karuta as much I do! We can teach you if you don't know how to play!"

She was so excited; I didn't even want to cramp her mood. How could I tell her that I never intended to join? I was just finalizing my master plan when she slid open a door, revealing six other members on a tatami mat. Four were playing, one was reading, and the other was watching.

"Everyone, look!" The girl said, "We're getting a new member!"

The reader stopped briefly, messing up her rhythm; ouch, she looked mad now. Never interrupt a reader; it's what I learned at a very early age. The others momentarily paused their game, or maybe they just stopped playing all together from the interruption to crowd around us.

"What is it, Chihaya?" A guy with light brown hair that was taller than both of us said.

"Taichi, look!" Chihaya said, moving aside so that everyone could get a clear view of me. "A new member!"

Taichi sighed deliberately, "Did she actually say that she wanted to join our club?"

"No, but she was looking at our flyer!" Chihaya replied.

A rounder guy with beige hair spoke up, "That doesn't mean that she wants to join…."

"Nishida-kun, that doesn't matter!" The reader said before turning to face me. "I'm Kanade Oe, though everyone calls me Kana-chan. Now that you're here, why don't you learn what our club is about?"

"Karuta, right?"

"Yes, it's about karuta. I'm Tsutomu Komano, by the way." Another guy said. "Have you played before?"

"Yeah," I replied dryly, reluctant to touch the family subject.

"What class are you in?" Someone else said, he had beige hair as well and had a creepy smile on his face.

"Tsukuba-kun, don't make that face!" A girl with black hair and straight bangs in pigtails whispered. "You'll scare her off!"

"I'm in uh…" I thought about lying briefly, just to get them off my tail. Would the let me go if I said I was in Class E? I decided against it, thinking that I could just run whenever I wanted to. They couldn't stop me. "Class A."

The answer elicited a loud response from Chihaya. "OH! Play me, will you?"

"Kotowaru," I said. While I could see that Chihaya was amiable overall, but she was also way too eager, which made me feel a little more demoralized to play her.

"Ne," the girl with black hair spoke up, "Why are you here this Friday anyway? It's a holiday."

"I'm transferring to this school on Monday." I explained, "Today I just wanted to check out the clubs because of the rule. What's your name?"

"Sumire Hanano, and yours?"

"Aria Tsubasa, call me Aria, please."

"So, Aria-san, are you thinking of joining our club?" Taichi prompted kindly.

I pursed my lips, wondering how I should lay this down on them. "No."

Then they were all bowing to me. "Please," Taichi said, "You would do us a great deed if you joined."

I was stunned, and I couldn't tell if they were being modest of if this was all planned. Probably both, considering their club size and the personalities I've seen so far. Peer pressure, huh?

Finally they stopped, and Nishida spoke. "How about you play a practice match with me? When we finish you can decide."

Chihaya's mouth dropped, "Nikuman-kun, that's not fair! I asked first!" Nikuman? Nice nickname.

"Let him play her, Chihaya." Taichi reasoned until she calmed down.

Nishida suggested that we clean up his previous game with Taichi, but I stopped him. "Why don't we just continue from here and I can sub in for him until the end. It will be faster with just half a game and everyone else won't have to restart."

"Sure."

So they picked up where they left. Taichi had been at a three card disadvantage from Nishida, but his cards were well organized. Now that I realized it, only he and Chihaya weren't playing. There was a spot for them to play, though I think that because they were the strongest, and the captain and president, they wanted to check out my capabilities. Nishida could do this a well, since he was playing against me. And it seemed that Tsukomu was watching as well, a notepad out. _A data karuta player, huh? _I thought.

"That reminds me," I said, "What class are you all in?"

"Class A," Nishida and Chihaya piped.

"Class B," Taichi said, disappointed falling over his face. He probably really wanted to go in Class A. I wondered how many tournaments he had been in, given his expression.

"Class C," Tsutomu and Kana said in unison.

"We're both in Class E," Sumire said, motioning to both her and Tsukuba. Hm, so they just started karuta? Good for them.

"Aria-san, do you need memorizing time?" Nishida asked me.

I nodded, and they gave me five minutes for memorization as there weren't as many cards on the mat. I ruled out all cards that I didn't see, but I couldn't be sure, what if they were just dead cards that hadn't been read yet? I was at more of a disadvantage here than I thought.

Kana called for silence as she started the opening poem. "_Naniw-zu ni…Sakuya kono…hana….Fuyugomori….Im wo haru-be to..Sakura kono….hana…._" Her voice was very clear, and followed the basic rhythm of reading; she wasn't off timing and made a very good reader. I could count on her. Already I could feel the difference between each soft or hard 's' and the different pictures that formed in her mind as she looked at the card she was reading.

"_Kimi ga tame Ha…"_ She read and our inclination was to bring our hands towards the _Kimi ga tame Oshi_ card. Though neither of us touched the card, it was on impulse.

_Dead card, _I thought, ruling that one out.

We went through various more dead cards, neither of which we committed faults to. I could hear Sumire make a fault, though that was it. It was weird, having so many dead cards in a row, but I stayed wary, as did Nishida.

"_Gu—"_

_ Gust. How did I know that you would come? _I wondered, as I heard the hard G, my right hand struck the card, sending ones beside it flying.

I picked up the card and place it by my side, sending one over as well before fixing the cards I had spread out.

"_Asabo—" _Asaborake. All the readers I have known have always been able to pronounce the next word in their voice subconsciously, but it was only for good ears to hear. And I could tell that Ariake would come next.

My hand reacted without a second thought, sweeping the cards around it as well. I could tell Nishida was thinking. His offensive karuta was good, and he was fast. He reacted quickly. But I could hear it. I could feel it. The sound—no, the breath—made before a certain letter is spoken.

One more card and I could make a comeback. "_Yura no-"_

He beat me this time. I needed a second longer to make sure it was _Yura no_, but this card seemed to be special to him as a smile crossed his face and he sent a card over, raising a hand.

Karuta had no special meaning to me. It was boring—something I had been forced to play my entire life. I was always pressured to win; so much that I started to do so out of habit. It wasn't like I was trying, but I wouldn't let myself lose either.

"Hey, are you trying to insult me?" Nishida asked. It's been something that I've heard a lot. Apparently I'm not such a good actress.

"Not at all." This was the truth. "How so?"

"You're not trying. You're not exerting any effort at all. Do you really think I'm that bad?" Nishida asked, force in his tone.

I shrugged. "Karuta is nothing to me. It's something that's brought nothing but dread to me." Though that's not the truth; I used to love karuta. That's all gone now; I can't remember what it feels like to have fun during the sport.

He looked really pissed then, and didn't say a word. Nishida made some faults, probably due to anger, and I got pissed that he was getting pissed from my normal attitude towards karuta. So I didn't let him take another card.

"You're so good, Aria-chan!" Chihaya said, beaming with excitement when I won. "You play like Arata too!"

_Arata?_

"What she means is that sometimes you sweep your cards." Taichi explained, "You aim for several cards instead of just the one. Arata is an old friend of ours."

I nodded, "Sometimes I do that when I don't think I'll make it in time. Sweeping is troublesome, and somewhat lazy, but it has an increased speed."

"So are you going to join?" Kana asked.

Everyone looked so hopeful, except Nishida; I could tell that while he wanted me to join, he hated my attitude so far. These people looked so loving, like that actually loved karuta. And what else was I going to do? Join the softball team?

Hell no.

"Sure."

Suddenly Chihaya hugged me, and I realized that she wanted a new club member more than I could ever know. Well, it was better than joining softball, so I wasn't complaining. But they wouldn't see me try anytime soon. Sure, I'd win the matches at team tournaments to keep them satisfied. I also won't back talk to them or purposely show any bratty attitude on purpose. That was enough, right?


	2. Class A

**Chapter Two: Class A**

"I'm sorry, everyone!" Taichi said, blushing slightly. It wasn't a blush from embarrassment. It was a determined one, one that spoke of something that needed to be done. "Could I practice at Shiranami Society today?"

Everyone seemed to think it over for a second. I really had no say in any of it, so I kept quiet until someone spoke up, but it didn't take long. "Go for it!" Nishida smiled. "You'll get a lot more experience there, and if it means that you'll be in Class A faster—then go!"

"That's right, Taichi! We all want you to make it to Class A, so we won't mind!" Chihaya said.

His face lit up, "Thank you, everyone!"

Taichi was about to burst out of the room when I grabbed his arm, almost tripping in the process. "Can I come?" I asked, "Since I moved, I had to quit from the last society I was in."

"Sure—Hanada-sensei will be glad for a new member. Especially one in Class A."

"Then can I come?" Sumire suddenly asked. There was something different about her voice, something cuter. As if she had poised it for that moment, and I had no clue as to why.

"You can't, Sumire!" Kanna said, "We still have to show you some of the things for the club today."

"I see." She glared at me with such animosity that I thought I might pass out. What was up? Earlier she was just being fine with me; not caring who I was. Then it dawned on me. Was she _into _Taichi? Well, maybe. But she would soon figure out that I would have no chance with him and then maybe she could learn to live with me being there.

Besides, even though I had been there for only one after noon, I could already tell that he liked Chihaya. I thought it was sweet, though she seemed oblivious to his feelings.

So we left. He didn't bother to change, just put a hoodie over his shirt. I started wondering about Shiranami Society. Was it a good one? Were there powerful players? According to Chihaya and Nishida, it seemed that the people there were more powerful than the ones in the club. Which did make sense, considering it was a society.

"How is the society?" I asked Taichi as we caught the bullet train. I had no idea where I was going, but I trusted him to know. "Who is Harada-sensei?"

"Harada-sensei is the head of Shiranami Society. He's really wise and still great at karuta, despite what you might think of his age ailing him. Harada-sensei has been there since I was a kid, and I can tell that he really loves karuta. He's helped me grow a lot." Taichi replied. "As for the society, there are many players from each level."

"Ah, I see." Around us, girls were starting to stare at Taichi. He was good-looking, but that's not all I cared about in a guy. "How many more tournaments do you have to win in order to go into Class A?"

"One." Taichi said, bangs covering his eyes. I was about to change the subject, thinking that perhaps this was something I shouldn't tread into when he continued, slightly changing the subject himself. "Hey, you really should try when you play karuta, you know."

I crossed my arms. "Oh? It's not something I can turn on or off, Taichi. Maybe when I find someone who can match me, I'll try. Maybe I'll have fun. Maybe I'll love karuta again. But that's not what I feel at the moment." This was a signal to change the subject again.

But of course since we were both frustrated with our own problems, starting a conversation with each other was hard. I had to laugh inwardly that we had already touched a soft spot for each other.

Looking outside the window, I got lost in a train of thought. I played with my hair, swirling it around my finger as I continued to stare outside. My hair was dark brown, long, and unkempt, running until my lower back; adorned with side-swept bangs. Although I never thought to comb it or put my hair up, I liked it long and didn't want to get it trimmed. So I started make a single, thin braid randomly on the left side of my hair, sealing it with a black hair elastic that was on my wrist.

"Will you let me help you?" I asked Taichi after the silence was going on for way too long.

Taichi raised an eyebrow at first, confused on the subject; but then he became silent. "How can your attitude suddenly change from aggressive to helpful?"

I chuckled, "train windows can do that to a person. No matter what, whenever I'm on a train, I always end up thinking about life and the most random things when I look out the window."

He nodded, as if understanding the feeling. "What did you mean about helping?"

"I meant with your tournament. It's not like I don't want to see you get into Class A. I'm not from Tokyo, remember? My family and I are from Sapporo. Maybe I can see something that could help your technique. I know that I'm probably not much better than you, but I see things from a different perspective." I explained. "And…I also want to watch your next tournament."

"Why? Aren't you tired of karuta?" Taichi asked.

"I'm tired of playing competitively with my family. I'm tired of being pressured to win." I retorted, like they were totally different. "That doesn't mean I don't want to help someone advance their class when they've tried so hard."

Taichi pursed his lips, deciding. "You're tired of being pressured to win competitively with your family?" He repeated, "aren't you just admitting that you want to love karuta again?"

I started to protest but he cut me off, "Everyone who has played karuta has loved the sport before. You may not act like it, but it's there."

Had I wanted to love karuta again? To have fun while playing a match? The answer seemed impossibly far from me and yet the answer, while usually a no, was unclear. I changed the subject, "When's your next tournament?"

"It's in Kyoto on Sunday."

"So you'll let me come?"

He smirked, "Only because while you may help me, a helpless Class B player, I want to help you as well."

"Help me with what?"

"Well you have a habit of changing the subject when it gets too touchy—that also means you are running away you know—" my pride flared but I kept quiet, "—and it seems you really do want to love karuta again."

This guy…he acted pretty different around the people that weren't in the karuta club. Or was it just me? Since technically I was part of the club now….

He sighed, "I won't bother you any further for today. As for the tournament, I have plane tickets to get to Kyoto." He explained, "My mother pays for them. It'll only be a day trip—do you mind planes?"

"No, of course not; I can even make our lunch since you have the tickets. It's just that travelling to another city might be a problem for my family. They will let me go as long as it is karuta-related, but is there a Class A tournament?" I asked him hopefully. The bullet train stopped and Taichi pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket as we got out.

"There is one, actually. Why?"

"I'm sure I can go then. My family is really karuta-obsessed. They are all doctors or dentists or lawyers, but when they aren't doing work, they're playing. All my cousins and my siblings are expected to win tournaments we enter, and we are all named after cards. If they hear that I'm going to a tournament, they'll gladly send me off." I said. _And I'll gladly get away from them. _

"Really? I'm kind of envious of you; my mother doesn't approve of karuta." Taichi said. "What are your family's names?"

"Aria," I said, voicing my name. "Akira, Ashibiki, Ama, Ariake, Uji, Asajiri, Ai, Au, Aware, Akemi, Araza, Arima, Arashi, and Akika. My older brother is Akira, but that is it for my family. The rest are cousins."

Taichi laughed; a real good one as we came upon the society. "You're all named after the 'A' cards! It's kind of funny. Though only one is named 'Uji', why is that?"

"Their real names are '_Asaborake Ariake' _and '_Asaborake Uji'_. Everyone outside our family calls the twins Ariake and Uji, but at home we are forbidden. If we want to call them, we have to say Asaborake only." I replied.

"Why?"

"They were trying to get us to recognize how someone says words differently. They might be the same, but the words following shape the first word a lot. It's how our family knows the difference between when Ariake and Uji are being called." I said, "They just made us call out Asaborake until we figure out how each are pronounced slightly differently. Then no one was confused again. It took a long time though."

"Your parents are very smart…." Taichi remarked.

"I guess, but they just saw strategy," I pointed out. "We spend so much time together and we all live in the same humongous house. What do you think that would do to some of us?"

"It would force you to instinctively memorize all the 'A' cards…." Taichi whispered. "Can all your family do this?"

I shook my head. "Half of the people I named got tired of karuta and quit. Uji and Ariake absolutely detest karuta because of their names. They have given up on it all together, tired of it like me." I snorted. "Their parents practically disowned them because of it. They don't even speak."

"In a game, I usually rule out all the cards, the ones in play, and the ones not." Taichi said, speaking of his own game style.

"You can do that?" I asked, letting myself be struck by the talent. "That's amazing."

"I don't know if I would call it that," he laughed as we stepped inside. "My mom always told me, 'Participate in things you can only win' so she doesn't approve of karuta at all and she doesn't thing I'm amazing either."

"But my family is karuta-obsessed!" I said. "The one absolute rule that every family member must participate in is the family tournaments. We have them every month. There's a prize, but you get scolded if you lose and scolded if you beat the elders so what's the point?"

"Tournament? That sounds fun. How often do you have them?" Taichi asked.

"Once a month; although it's not that fun if the younger generation doesn't try." I said, "Maybe everyone can join in on one and save some of my cousins."

A man in a brown robe came up to Taichi from inside a room. "Eyebrows!" He said, "Come to practice again?" He was a middle-aged man, perhaps in his fifties or sixties, with black hair and glasses. "Oh, and who is your friend?"

"This is Aria Tsubasa, she's in Class A and wants to join Shiranami Society." Taichi introduced us. "Aria-san, this is Harada-sensei."

"Oh! Thank you!" Harada-sensei said. "We just finished a practice match right now. How about you both play?"

I was confused on if we were to play each other or play others. So, instead of voicing my question, I just went along with it. My opponent ended up being Taichi, this way I could see ways for him to improve so that he could win the tournament on Sunday.

His way of organizing his cards were very methodical, yet also very complex. The fifteen minutes to memorize flew by, and I could tell that Taichi already memorized where every card was.

"_Naniw-zu ni…Sakuya kono…hana….Fuyugomori….Im wo haru-be to..Sakura kono….hana…._" This reader had a clear and loud voice. It resounded through the room, listened carefully by all.

"_Tago no Ura ni…." _Dead card. Taichi didn't even move.

"_Akikaze ni…."_ I got this one. It was an 'A' card, after all. I wouldn't let anyone take any of these cards away from me. No matter how obscure my family was, it wasn't like I totally hated them. And while they completely hammered me to play karuta forever, I had to love them for taking care of me; wanting the best for me.

"_Murasame no…." _I took this card, an old tale coming into mind. While it was a card everyone was fast on, it being only a first-syllable, it was one I particularly loved.

"_Tachi…." _Taichi got it. I wondered if the poem had any meaning to him.

The game resulted in a win for me, but while I had been playing, I had also gathered information on him. If Taichi was losing during a game, he would get demoralized and ultimately question his own talent. He also overthinks strategies during the game as well. As for his swing, it is sharp and precise.

"You can't focus on the card you just lost." I said to him, after telling him what I had observed. "Focus on the next card."

Reaching for a pen in my pocket, I took Taichi's arm and lifted it so that his palm was facing up. Then I wrote '_Believe in my ability' _in tiny characters on his wrist. "Follow that, okay? Don't doubt yourself. I believe I wrote small enough so that no one can easily see it." I said, hoping that it wouldn't get him in trouble with his mother.

He nodded. "Thanks."

"I'll remind you of that during the tournament, okay? So don't forget."

The sun was setting as we walked towards our homes. It turned out that we lived in the same area, though not on the same street. When we parted ways, I didn't head for home, instead, I went to the gym and texted my family, saying I'd be very late. And that I was picking karuta up seriously again. That should satisfy them.

"Oh? I haven't seen you here in a while." The gym manager said. "You here to train with _that_ again?"


	3. Family Disgrace

**Chapter Three: Family Disgrace **

Ten minutes later, I was hooked up to the treadmill black mask around my nose and mouth. I was exercising using the wonderful powers of liquid breathing. What is liquid breathing? It's hard to explain. Google could probably give you a clearer answer than the one I'm about to give you, but I'll do my best.

Liquid breathing is when you breathe in a liquid that has a lot of oxygen in it. Since it has more oxygen than normal air, your lungs get more air and you can exercise without the restrictions of heavy breathing. This means that you can run longer.

And I need to do this. A couple of years ago, I was doing this every day after school to improve me lack of stamina. It was probably what hindered me the most. After continuing to exercise while liquid breathing, my stamina problem was fixed. However, it has been two years, and I needed to permanently get rid of this problem.

So I ran all night. Then I ran to my home, crept in, slept, woke up at four in the morning, had an insanely big breakfast, and went back. I ran for the rest of my Saturday until it was late. Of course I was tired, but I could always sleep on the plane.

When I got back home, I told my parents my plans to meet with Taichi early tomorrow morning. Then I took a shower and collapsed into bed, sleep taking me instantly.

My body wasn't ready to wake up at five in the morning, but I forced myself awake. Since it was only a day trip, the only thing I needed was my drawstring bag with money in it. But I shortly after packing it, I dumped it on my bed. I really wasn't thinking. So I took a sports bag and put my wallet, keys, and cell phone in it. Then I carefully took out my hakama and put that in with a tasuki.

_Crap! Lunches! _I forgot that I had agreed to make them. Glancing at the time, I had about twenty minutes before I had to leave to meet Taichi. So I got on it right away, and hoped that they weren't the crappiest lunches ever.

"Sorry I'm late!" I panted as the taxi dropped me off at the airport.

"Why is your bag so big?" Taichi chuckled. I unzipped the bag slightly to reveal the hakama to him, and I saw him blush a bit. "You're going to wear a hakama?"

"A-TA-RI-MA-E-DA!" I replied.

"Should I have…?"

"No, it's fine. Most people won't be wearing one anyway." I said, "You can just wow them with those wonderful looks of yours."

I laughed as his blush deepened. "Let's go!" He said, taking my hand as we rushed to our flight.

The flight didn't take more than three or four hours, but I slept through all of it, hoping to regain some energy for the tournament. As soon as we got out of the airport, we made our way to the tournament. Kyoto had a very different air to it; I could tell very distinctly that this was not Tokyo. For one thing, it was raining heavily, but it wasn't a sad rain either. It was calming.

So from then, I watched Taichi's matches. He seemed to defeat his opponents easily, and so far I saw no struggle. Until the final match, that is. He was one opponent away from Class A, but this one wasn't giving up so easily. His opponent, a burly man, was on a seven card lead.

And I could see Taichi starting to doubt himself. _Idiot, _I thought. Didn't I just tell him not to do exactly what he is doing now? I was really glad that this tournament wasn't being aired because what I was about to do would very much kill me if I knew these people.

So I shrieked, and slammed a hand down on the tatami mat. Then I gasped, covered my mouth, and bowed several times, apologizing for the interruption. I explained that there had been a spider and that I really _hated _spiders. I acted like I couldn't bear to see it on the tatami mat. And in the midst of my act, I winked at Taichi while whipping my wrist against my forehead, as if I was brushing off sweat.

He seemed to get it, a dawning realization coming to his mind, which at least, got my purpose done. Even though I did get kicked out. So I watched the rest of the match from outside, looking through the windows and desperately trying to see past the fog that was slowly starting to creep up the windows from the inside because of how hot it was in there.

Taichi was really starting to get serious. I could see that his mind was clear of all thoughts, only focused on karuta. Soon he started taking cards like they were one-syllable, only letting one slip by. The seven card lead was gone, and he was gaining. I didn't know how many cards were left, but I could tell that Taichi knew, especially since he never moved an inch when a dead card was read. That also lead to a fault on his opponents side.

He ended up winning with a five card lead and I couldn't help but cheer from outside the window, thinking no one would hear me. And no one did, as far as I could tell, but when I looked back inside the room, Taichi was looking at me. He saw my happy dance, didn't he? I thought; face heating up as I just casually gave him a thumbs-up before looking away.

Calm down, I chided to myself. I listened to the sound of the rain and breathed, singing a song lightly.

_Flowers bloom in spring  
Oh, the sky spreads in summer  
They're engraved and sparkling  
In my heart_

_Rain falls in the morning  
Even on a day when I shut the window  
The light overflowing to my chest  
Is from above the clouds_

_Joy and sorrow  
I hold everything close while I'm walking  
They're things that firmly join  
My hand  
And your hand together_

It was one of those songs that could always put someone to sleep, almost like a lullaby. It was a sweet song, one that my father always sang me in a much deeper and tone-deaf voice, but I managed to bring the song some grace when I sang it.

"Aria!" I turned to see Taichi. Hm? No 'san'? Well, that's ok. He had the winner's trophy in his hand and his face was red with overwhelming happiness. He gave me a slight bow, "Thank you!"

"I didn't do anything, seriously. It was all you," I replied with a little laugh. "But congrats, you're finally in Class A. Are you going to participate in the Class A tournament? You might be tired though."

"Yes, I want to see how I fair against others."

"I guess it's about time I change then," I said, slinging my bag over my shoulder as we went back inside. A bunch of people wanted to talk to Taichi, so I snuck away into the changing room and put the hakama on me and the white tasuki to help keep heat from hindering me.

The top of the hakama was a bright orange with white flowers all over it and the bottom was a royal blue. I tied my hair up into a bun before taking the hand towel in bag with me and leaving the bag in a locker.

When I came out of the change room, people stared. I wasn't beautiful, so I ruled out that possibility and figured that it was because I was wearing a hakama and hadn't been in previous tournaments. No one knew who I was and they just wanted to know if I was strong or not.

They would find out soon.

I went back to Taichi, who was sitting down and he didn't seem the least bit fazed that I was in a hakama. Not beautiful at all. "This tournament isn't going to be recorded, right?" I asked him.

"Some might record it on their own cameras, but it won't be posted anywhere nor will it be on TV. Why?"

"I shudder at the thought of my family watching and critiquing me at home while I'm here," I told him, "it is way too much pressure."

"Would everyone participating in the Class A Tournament enter the room, please? We're going to start!" Someone announced and soon rallies of people were pushing like a mob to get through the sliding doors and into the big room.

I took a swig of Taichi's water and we entered the room, getting into our places. I would be against Hiroshi Ng, who was a guy, probably in his twenties. The tournament started and I went through my opponents, never meeting Taichi, who was doing alright. He got eliminated before the semi-finals. I didn't try too hard on my opponents, knowing that each round would sap my energy more and more, but I wasn't feeling as tired as I thought I would be either by the time I made it to the finals.

My opponent for the finals was Teppei Hinomiya, a man in his forties who looked burly and cocky, as if I shouldn't have been the one to verse him. We got our fifteen minute memorization period, and I urged my mind to forget the position of the cards in the previous matches and memorize this one. I recalled memorizing every country and their capital cities in the world and put those skills to use, capturing the position of every card.

Teppei intimidated me a little. He towered over me whenever he stood to get a good look at the cards and he kept looking at me with a weird glare. I took cards swiftly from him at a nominal speed, conserving my energy. I could feel a tired wave come over me, which made my body feel heavier than necessary. He took cards from me as well, looking a little smug as he took them. "I won't show you any mercy now, Tsubasa-san. It's time to get serious, for you and me both."

So he knew. Well it wasn't that hard to see, with the expression on my face. His words echoed in my mind. And that's when a very strange thing happened.

My head felt lighter, and at first I thought that maybe it was my headache being relieved, but then it suddenly started pounding again. The world seemed to be viewed from a camera lens, except the lens were my own eyes. I heard a smirk, a call, and my name.

My eyes flew open and I realized that I was flat on my back. My fingers numbly traced the lines of the tatami mat; they were lines that I recognized, played on my whole life. It was definitely a tatami mat. But where was I? In my house? In the club room? _No. _I had _fainted. _

I had passed out right in the middle of a karuta tournament.

I had completely disgraced myself.

_Mother, Father, I am so sorry._

_Please forgive me._


	4. Chihaya-lover

**Chapter Four: Chihaya-lover**

Taichi was only an inch or so from my face.

"Aria, say something, _please_." He offered me a glass of water, but I shook my head.

"I'm…okay. I don't know what…It's nothing. I'm in the middle of the last match, and I can carry through. It's nothing to worry about." I replied, trying desperately to reassure him and myself.

_But what _had_ happened? _I had never fainted before in my life. Let alone in front of people. I knew what I would be hearing about this from my family. If they ever found out, that is.

My opponents smirking features loomed in my vision. "Are you sure you don't want to forfeit?"

_Why are you smirking? _I wanted to ask him. He was losing. "No, thank you. I'm alright, really, and I'm sorry for the interruption." Then, I did as only a Tsubasa could, and bowed to the reader, to my opponent, and to the people watching. Hopefully that would be enough of an apology for now.

"We'll talk later," Taichi whispered in my ear before moving back to the side.

I nodded and we resumed the match. I had fainted, humiliating myself. The only way I could redeem myself was to not let him take a single card. There was no way. _Damned pride_, I thought, _Well, whatever, I'm doing it. _

I felt angry and rejuvenated, as weird as that sounded. I didn't have a fever, I knew that. But maybe that few minutes of sleep even though I fainted, gave me some energy back and gave me a reason to try. I became faster and didn't let his smirk show again.

"Thank you for the match," we said in unison, bowing to each other and the reader before I was given the trophy. It wasn't grand and I wasn't happy in the least that I got it, since whenever I looked at it, it would now remind me of the accident. But it could be proof to my family that I won, and that was enough.

I changed back into my regular clothes and got my bag, meeting Taichi at the entrance to the Learning Center where the tournament had taken place.

"So? What happened?" Taichi asked as we drove in a taxi to the airport, content with food.

"It was probably that I spent a bunch of time training yesterday to build some stamina, maybe I worked a little too hard," I said sheepishly.

"Don't overwork yourself like that, alright? The Nationals are coming up next week."

"The Nationals? Oh right, I had joined school at a very bad time." School started in spring, and I had come to Mizusawa near the end of spring, which meant that I only had a week of back-breaking school trying to catch up with what they had learned, and then summer break would be there.

"I'm going to have homework during summer break," I whimpered.

"Everyone will," he reminded me.

"Not as much as me."

"True."

I sighed as we went through the security check, "I hope I'm in the same class as you and Chihaya. That way I'll at least _know _some people."

"Tsutomu-san is also in our class, so make it three people." Taichi reminded her as they passed through the gate to get on the plane.

"Ah! Wait!" I told him, pulling my cell phone out. I unzipped my bag and got my trophy out, telling him to do the same. We were on the ramp to get on the plane outside, but we hadn't gone in yet. The sun still out a bit and would set soon. "We need to take a picture!"

"Why?" He asked, struggling as I pulled him next to me and faced the camera on my phone towards us. We held our trophies in the middle and I gave the camera a broad grin.

"Smile!"

I snapped the picture and looked back at it. He had a reluctant smile, but one that looked happy. I set it as my wallpaper and sent it to him, "Now doesn't that look nice?"

We put the trophies back in our bags and got into the plane, to our seats. "Can you do me a favour, Taichi?" I asked him as I closed my eyes and leaned into my seat, ready to sleep.

"What is it?"

I yawned, "Text that photo to Chihaya. She would want to know, wouldn't she? That you're in Class A now. She'll want to celebrate."

I didn't hear his answer and assumed that he had done it because for the next three or four hours, I slept peacefully with no dreams until Taichi shook me awake. We were back in Tokyo and it was dark outside.

Rubbing my eyes, I slowly opened them and hoped that the light in the plane wouldn't potentially blind me. We got out of our seats and grabbed out bags before exiting the plane, the last people to get off.

While we were in the silent drive to my home, Taichi's phone beeped. Even the taxi driver seemed to notice. Taichi smiled at the text and I couldn't help but snatch the phone with an evil grin. It was a reply from Chihaya. He had really sent her the picture, proud that he had won and she had replied, giving him her congratulations. '_You should have seen me,' _her reply read, '_When I got your text, I practically dropped what I was eating! Give my congratulations to Aria-chan as well!' _

Taichi was red in the face, "Good job, Taichi. I might just cheer for you."

"You mean like you did when I won the tournament?"

"Shut up!" I said in a playful voice, hiding the phone before muttering, "Chihaya-lover."

"I-I do not!" He protested, leaning over me to grab his phone while I kept it out of reach. "Besides, even if she doesn't realize it, she loves Arata."

"The childhood friend?" I asked, "Hm. Well, life will play out how it wants to. Everyone will be happy in the end though, just you watch. And if life feels crappy, then it's not the end, is it?"


	5. Training

**Chapter Five: Training**

My family never found out that I fainted, thank god. They were so strict, always going on about pride and karuta. I knew that they would freak if they ever found out, and I never planned on telling them. As soon as I got home the night before, I put my trophy on the table and crawled into my bed, ready to pass out. They didn't ask me how it was; they trusted me to win and got their answer with the prize I had brought home.

It wasn't even that late, early even and just dark outside. So why did I feel so tired today? I had gotten enough sleep, but I was yawning all over the place as my brother drove me to Mizusawa. He told me that I should memorize the way to school because this would be the first and last time he would drive me, but I couldn't concentrate at all.

Akira, my brother, was tall with blond hair. He was twenty and going off to a new college soon to study to be a doctor. We both had green eyes, but I would say that other than that, we looked different enough. Everyone always wondered why and how he had blond hair when I had dark brown, but I was blond as a kid and my hair eventually turned dark brown. Then people would tell me that that only happened with guys' hair so I guess I'm the weird one. Our parents are both Japanese, so it's really something that we came out both blond and green-eyed, which means I guess we're both weird.

Akira was the one who told me not to quit karuta and just live with it. It was pretty much a family legacy, and he didn't want our parents to stop talking to me, so I did what he said. The only time I really tried now in our family karuta tournaments was when I was playing him because frankly, he is way better than me and blows me out of the water every time. I thought that he could be Master if he wanted to, just like how he thought I could be Queen if I wanted to, but because I was such a rebellious child, I never entered the individual tournament and our parents didn't have interest in it either. We just had to be Class A, get better at karuta, and entertain them during the family tournaments.

"I think they're going to make us enter the individual tournament this year," he said, interrupting my thoughts. We were already at the high school. _Shoot! _I thought, remembering that I was supposed to remember how to get to and from school. Oh well, I decided to wing it when it came to it.

It took a while to process just what he was saying as I got out of the car, fresh in the Mizusawa uniform and was about to wave to him in the driver's seat. I spun around to face him, genuine surprise filling my face. "What?"

"They're really considering it."

"But I thought they didn't care!"

"Ariake and Uji were mentioning that the Queen and Master get their tuition funded for them and Ai's parents heard," he said, "I wouldn't mind having my scholarship funded for me as well—besides, it's about time that the Tsubasa's become famous."

"Is that all you care about?" I shouted, turning heads in our direction. I didn't care. "_Fame_?"

We would come out of nowhere, is what people would probably think. The weirdly huge family with children-named cards who were really good at karuta, "The people who dropped karuta—are they going to have to as well?"

"I think everyone will have to. Ariake and Uji have been making a big fuss about it," he replied, "I have to get back now. We'll talk about it later."

"Have a nice day," I muttered to him, turning around and heading towards the main office of the school. I was clearly a new face among the students and everyone seemed to wonder who I was, yet no one approached me.

Finally, I saw a familiar face. "Ohayo, Kana-chan!" I said, coming up from behind her.

She wished me a good morning as well, peering at my uniform. "You look cute in the uniform, Aria!"

I blushed and thanked her before asking, "Could you show me to the main office?"

"Sure," she smiled, "congrats on winning the tournament yesterday."

As she directed me down a hall, I looked at her curiously. "Thanks, how'd you know?"

"Chihaya-chan sent us all that photo of you and the captain. I'm really happy that he got into Class A since I know that he worked hard." She said, "Ne, Aria-chan. Do you like the captain?"

"Yeah, why?" I said automatically. The words flew out of my mouth and I hurried to correct the potential misunderstanding. "Well, not like _that_, but he's a good friend. Although we've only know each other for a couple of days. Why?"

"Then you know he likes Chihaya-chan?"

I laughed, "I think everyone knows. It's not hard to tell."

"I used to cheer for them and support them quietly, but the last time the club went on a trip together, Sumire asked Chihaya-chan if there was anyone she liked and she was really confused. But then she said that she thought of Arata all the time, so I think that whether she realizes it or not, she likes him. She _really _likes him." Kana said as we stopped outside the office.

"Now that you mention it, Taichi said that too."

"That's why, if you like him, I was going to root for you now. Whether either of you like each other or not, actually. I want him to be happy. He's always thinking of Chihaya," she said.

I really doubted that I would ever like Taichi, but I couldn't predict the future either. I told her this. "Well, if I ever do start to like him, I'll let you know. Thanks for your support, Kana-chan."

She left to her class as I knocked on the door of the office and went in. "Hi, I'm Aria Tsubasa, the transfer student," I told the secretary.

"Oh, welcome, Tsubasa-san!" The secretary, an old woman, greeted me. "I have everything you'll need today, except your textbooks."

She gave me a student card, my timetable, and a map of the school. "You'll be in Class 2-A, right here on the map," she said, circling a class on the map and circling the office. "I'll call your homeroom teacher to let him know that you're coming."

"Thank you," I said before digging out a piece of paper from my school bag. "Here, I have a club application form for the Karuta Club."

"Oh, you already joined a club? Good for you," she said, taking the form and putting it on her desk. "A lot of the kids like to crowd around transfer students to convince them into joining their club; this way, they won't burden you."

I thanked her again, taking the things she gave me and putting it into the bag, but leaving the map in my hand. The bell had already rang, which meant that the halls were empty. I got a feeling of comfort from that, knowing that no one was around to watch me get lost in the school.

But thankfully, the map was clear enough and I got to Class 2-A on time. In front of the class was an old woman. "Are you Tsubasa Aria-san? I was just going to go look for you. The class is very excited to meet you; come on in. I'm your homeroom teacher, Miyauchi-sensei. I heard that you joined the karuta club, I'm also the club advisor."

"It's nice to meet you, Miyauchi-sensei," I said as we stepped into the class. She wrote my name on the board and I stood in front of everyone, holding their curious eyes. "I'm Aria Tsubasa, please take care of me."

"Well then, please take your seat over there by Ayase-san." She told me and as I looked up, I saw that there was only one seat in the third row away from the window. I was slightly relieved; windows meant light going through them, and since summer was approaching, it would get hot. I walked to the seat and hung my bag on the side of the desk, sitting in the chair.

"You're in my class, Aria-chan!" A voice whispered happily to my left.

I turned, "Chihaya? Oh, good morning. If I'm in your class then that means…" I looked around and found Desktomu near the front of the class, and Taichi in the seat in front of me. Just how tired was I? I didn't even notice them.

"Chihaya, when does the club get together usually?" I whispered to her.

"We practice every day after school and sometimes at lunch. Although at lunch we mainly just eat in the club room," she replied.

Because I had so much work to catch up on, the day flew by. Chihaya, Desktomu, Taichi, and I went to the clubroom at lunch but all I did was frantically do homework while trying to eat. It wasn't that I didn't understand anything I was given, it was just a lot of work and everything took a lot of time to do. I couldn't even work on it in class because I had to concentrate on what we were _currently _learning. I didn't even practice karuta after school, only tried to shorten the big package of work I was given. My goal was to finish by the end of this week so that I would only have summer break homework and could focus on the Nationals, but it was hard. I decided to cut television and internet from my life just so I could finish.

The rest of the club members didn't complain too much about me doing homework all the time, but they made me play at least one match a day and told me that while I could make it look like I was bored during a match for strategy, I had to actually try during practice.

By the end of the week, I found myself starting to like going to practices. Karuta was becoming gradually fun, with everyone alongside with me. I was looking forward to playing with them in the Nationals. I had finished the work package I was given I day earlier than I thought I was, and was glad on the last day, Friday, to give the package to the teachers in the staff room while being able to say that now I was thoroughly caught up. I had also done the three tests that were scheduled for the regular students that week.

"I'm finally done!" I sighed in relief in the clubroom.

"Good work, Tsubasa," Nishida said. We had worked over the not-trying-during-my-first-match-with-him thing and we knew how each other felt. I didn't want to offend anyone else during practice, so I really did try when I played games against them.

I was the reader for the next match, and while I wasn't completely confident in my reading skills, I managed to come by somehow. I wasn't off rhythm; I just never got my voice to be strong enough. The Nationals was on Sunday, and the individual tournament would be on Monday, both at Omi Jingu.

So on Saturday we ended up practicing more and running laps to build our stamina; this time I wasn't alone running. We played matches for the whole day and Desktomu told us what we needed to work on. I found out that I needed to change where I set some of my cards and that I tended to sweep cards to increase my speed. That meant that if someone saw me going faster than usual, they could guess that the card being called was in their territory.

"Thank you, Desktomu-kun, you're so amazing!" I praised him, genuinely awed. "Seriously, it's crazy how you can use data for karuta."

He nodded his thanks and turned to Taichi, "Captain, I know you worry about other people and notice things but during Nationals, remember that it's okay to just worry about your own match."

When everyone was to part at the gate of the school, Chihaya yelled, "Alright everyone, let's become the best in Japan!"

"MI!"

"ZU!"

"SA!"

"WA!"

"FIGHTO!"


	6. Ignite

**Chapter Six: Ignite **

Omi Jingu was said to be a majestic place. It was also some ways away from Tokyo, which meant that we had to travel together and stay in a hotel while the tournaments took place. Naturally, we would all meet up on the day set to go and head to the Omi Jingu Learning Center together.

And yet, I'm sure that that plan really vexed Fate.

"I'm sorry," I spoke into my cellphone, trying to hear Chihaya over the wind. "Go without me—if you don't go now you'll be late. I'm sorry I made you guys skip so many trains."

"No way! We can't leave without you! Are you sure you can't get here now?" Chihaya yelled over was seemed like a rushing train. The third one was there since we were supposed to meet up.

"I don't want to drag you guys down," I told her, "I'll try and make it as quick as I can, so you guys on ahead, alright?"

"No way—" she repeated before getting cut off.

There was a muffling noise before Taichi's voice came in, "Make sure you get here quick, okay Aria? This is a team tournament. We win together, right?"

I nodded, as if he could actually see me, "get there safely, alright? I'll see you guys soon."

I could hear them drag Chihaya into the train as Taichi hung up and I turned to my current situation. "Are you sure you're alright?" I asked politely to the woman sitting across the room.

We were at the hospital. The woman had already been treated and it was concluded that she and her unborn baby were both fine. She refused to leave until I was done being treated as well and constantly repeated her guilt.

I smiled sheepishly as she said sorry for the fifth time, "It's alright really. I'll take an injury to save a kid's life."

"But you have a sports tournament today, don't you?" She asked, "You can't play now because I fractured your wrist, right?"

The doctor reminded me to keep still as he cleaned the scrapes on my wrist. Then he put something over the rest of my body as a machine went over my arm to take an x ray. The woman went out of the room for this and he took a couple of x rays of my arm. When he was finished, he went to retrieve them and the woman came back in.

"I can't thank you enough," she said, this time going for a different approach.

"I'm sure anyone would have done it," I replied with a smile as the doctor came back in with my x rays.

He showed me the images and explained to me how my right wrist was fractured. Since he had taken an x ray of my left wrist, he showed that too for a comparison. "You're going to need a cast," he said, "and lay off the wrist for at least 6 weeks. Once the 6 weeks is over we can take it off, put a brace, and check it again after."

My mouth dropped, "Six weeks? The tournament is today!"

"You have to make sure your bone recovers back into the place it was before. If it does not, you will have to have surgery. If you play any sports, do not put any stress on it," he persisted.

I nodded reluctantly. I would have to accept it for now; there was nothing I could do about it. He asked me what colour he wanted my cast to be and I answered automatically: pink. I thought it was a fitting colour since it was bright and wouldn't let me feel sad if I looked at it.

"What kind of tournament was it?" The pregant lady asked when he had finished leaving the room to get my cast.

"Competitive karuta," I told her, adding the 'competitive' because most people thought the sport was easy going.

She gasped, "at Omi Jingu? I'm so sorry! My family plays karuta as well so I know how tough it is. You're right handed aren't you?"

"Well, I mostly play with my right hand—" I said to her, about to explain.

"Aw, look what I've done! Now you won't be able to play!" She sat, taking a breather; I could tell that I was bundling a lot of stress on her.

"Calm down, miss," I said in a reassuring voice, "What's your name?"

"Rima," she said, taking a sip of water from the glass on the table, "Kadowaki Rima. And you?"

"Tsubasa Aria," I told her. "Don't worry about the karuta tournament. I'll still play and besides, I don't regret what I did."

On the way to the train station, I had been going up the stairs to cross on an overpass when someone had pushed Rima. It was a pretty busy overpass, since most people used it to also cross the street. I noticed that she was pregnant and kind of, well, 'cushioned' her fall. In the moment I had been hoping to stop her by holding out my right hand as a wall, but I ended up falling back as well, and we had toppled down together.

I had excluded all of this from my call with Chihaya, of course.

It would do no good for them to worry about me now, and I still intended to play. I just didn't know if I would make it in time.

The doctor came back in with my cast. He instructed me on how I would bathe with it on and even gave me cloth to wrap the cast to my neck so that I wouldn't have to exert much energy to keep it upright. But it seemed to only make me more uncomfortable and hotter, so I opted not to wear it.

He took his time, carefully putting my cast on while answering my questions. I must admit, it took a long time. I must have spent at least two or three hours at the hospital. And most of that time was waiting. Rima had gotten first treatment, since she was pregnant, but my condition wasn't as life threatening.

Mizusawa must have faced at least two schools by now. Since none of them called, I assumed that they were still in the tournament. Miyauchi-sensei's text confirmed that and she also asked where I was. I told her that I got injured and that it was nothing serious but it would take time to get there.

When I was done being treated, I gave my information to the front desk. My family was covered, so there was no charge, but I needed to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. Mizusawa was waiting for me but I was also wary of seeing family members. An uncle and an aunt of had a job at this hospital, and I was not in the mood to see them.

"Let me at least drive you to Omi Jingu. It'll be quicker," Rima offered, "I'm going there anyway for the individual tournament."

I was aghast, "you aren't playing, are you?"

"No, of course not!" She said, hurrying to cover up what she had implied. "But I have a nephew who is going to participate and I want to cheer him on."

I hesitated. She didn't seem like a bad woman and I could definitely trust her not to run off with me somewhere, but I was worried that I would become a burden to her. "Alright," I said, "thank you, I appreciate it."

We got into her car, a hybrid that drove very smoothly and safely as she drove the speed limit. It took us an hour to reach the big red learning center and as we pulled into the parking lot, I was eager to go meet my team. They were already in the semi-finals and their match would be over. The only match I could play with them would be the finals—if they made it. No, they would make it.

"We can't forget to pray!" Rima insisted, tugging me up the steps to the huge red temple.

"But I have to see team!" I fought.

"You have to pray for them and yourself," she said, "you must."

I reluctantly followed her up the long steps. We rung the bell and clapped our hands twice. _Please allow me to play with my team in the finals! _I thought long and hard. When we finished, I calmed myself, not wanting to show Rima how much I wanted to run and leave her to race into the Learning Center.

She seemed to notice, however, and told me to go on ahead when we got inside. I thanked her once more and rushed off towards the Uruysha Room. When I moved to slide open the door, however, it opened before me to reveal many people coming out of the room. I stood there, blocking the way until I moved aside numbly. I had missed the match. What if they had already been beaten? Was it the final? I didn't know anything.

"Aria-chan you made it!" I heard a bright voice above me.

Everyone was suddenly around me. "Did you win?" I asked them but what I really meant to ask was if it was over.

Chihaya grinned, "Yup! We're in the finals!"

I sat down, breathing a sigh of relief. I could still play with them in the finals. "Thank goodness I made it in time then. I'm sorry if I worried you."

"Aria, your arm…." Taichi trailed off, looking at my right arm with the cast on it.

"Oh," I said, "I um, fell and fractured my wrist. It's nothing to worry about though! It's not actually my dominant hand."

"It is?" Kana asked, and then thought back. "Now that you mention it, I always did find it weird why you wrote with your left but played with your right."

I smiled, "it's just something I was taught to do," then I mimicked my parents voice, "'If you get hurt—play with the other hand!' is what they thought."

"That's good then," Nishida said, "You can play. We're up against Fujisaki next. They've won the national tournament four times in a row already."

There was a little break before the next match so we figured out our line-up, got our information from Desktomu and ate some. I wasn't sure where Rima went but I was sure that I would see her again soon. Desktomu was sure that they would not change their line-up except for one position, so he put me up against a blond third year.

"When he blows his hair up, that means he's in trouble," he told me.

"Are you playing too?" I asked him curiously.

"No, Tsukuba is." He said without any disappointment. "He's better suited for his opponent." Then he turned and gave him a couple of instructions.

"I need a Mizusawa shirt right? Do you have any extras?" I asked them.

"No, sorry," Taichi asid thoughtfully, "we do have the new ones that Nishida's sister made, but…."

They produced a bright blue shirt with black writing on it. The shirt was very nice except for the fact that it said '2nd place' on them. "If that's the only thing we have, I can wear it," I said sheepishly. The shirt was still nice and I doubted that my opponent would notice.

I changed and drank more water before the teams were called back inside the room for the finals. Mizusawa would go against Fujisaki and Hokuo would go against Osaka Megumu's school. They announced the line-up and we found that Desktomu was spot on. Everything was according to the plan, even when the Fujisaki third years got up early during the memorization time. I was tempted to follow, but I also knew that I would need the time.

The tatami lines on the mat were smooth and yet rough at the same time. I found that it helped me memorize the positions of the cards if I blocked out everything but the cards and the mat. I didn't even hear everyone's breathing, which was so apparent in the silent room.

The cast felt heavy on my arm, but I willed myself to ignore it as if my right arm wasn't there anymore. No, I was playing with my left hand and my left hand only.

Fujisaki came back in during the last minute of the memorization period. They looked refreshed and new. My opponent looked at my cast and I wondered if he planned to go easy on me. But I would show him that he wouldn't have to. I would make him go all out.

_All out? _Since when had I been thinking of such things? Was I even going to be serious about this? I shook my head to myself. I had to be. This was my only match with Mizusawa that I was getting today. The fact that I made it here was lucky enough. I wanted my team to be proud of me, so I would win. I didn't care about stamina—I would overcome that. I would finish so quickly that stamina wouldn't be a problem.

I decided to go on the offensive. And yet, when the first card was read, his hand moved first. In my mind, it calculated the distance from his hand and the card and decided that he would get to it first and that I didn't need to try. I didn't move. Even when I had leaned over in a crouch, ready to move, I didn't.

Was I that used to not trying? Just letting my body stay frozen? Move, dammit! I started to really want to try. _Karuta is fun! _I remember Nishida saying, _and when you try, it becomes even better! _

"Asajiu—" My cousin's face peered into my mind as my hand flew to the card. I picked it up where it flew and put it to my side, my first card. I sent a card over.

A series of dead cards were read before another came, and I took that one as well. I had this weird feeling in my chest, like I didn't want him to take any more cards, as if I were possessive of them. But mainly I just wanted to win for Mizusawa. I wanted them to be the best in Japan and I wanted to help them.

Yamashiro, the grad 7 reader, read flawlessly. I loved her. She gave away so much when she was reading. Playing karuta while she read was a gift in its own right. "Shinoburedo—"

My hand flew instantly to the card, swiping it to the side. I breathed heavily as I sent over another card. My cast felt heavy. I really wanted to just take it off but it wasn't possible. How were the others doing? Tsukuba, Taichi, and Chihaya were behind. Nishida and I were winning.

Another card was read, this time it was on his lower right. But my opponent wasn't used to playing against left handed people, and his cover was open to me. I touched the tip of the card and sent another over.

He blew his hair then, his face serious. It was true that he was in trouble but the atmosphere around him seemed to grow thicker and he took the next card. A dawning realization came over me. He didn't blow his hair out of the way when he was in trouble; he did so when he was becoming serious.

My lead was gone when the next few cards were read and I started to get calmer. He got serious, I told myself. I could too. I pictured myself in my room. It was the only place I could always feel happy and calm. I played karuta with Akira or by myself all the time. The room was cool and silent; a place where I could relax and hear everything.

"Ariake—" I took the card.

_Is karuta fun, Aria? _I remembered my father asking as I was a child. I would nod eagerly and play several matches a day, intent on raising my skill so that I could be just as good as him. Where had those fun times gone? When had karuta become boring?

When did this exciting fire in my heart disappear?

I shook my head and took another card, happy to cry out: "One win for MIZUSAWA!"

My face betrayed all of my emotions; happy and determined, but most of all, proud. I stared at my team mates, who shared the same feelings as me before bowing to my opponent. Before I knew it, I was crying at the sudden realization that had been brought upon me.

_The fire in my heart…it's igniting. _


End file.
